Mike Connor

Developer and DevOps

While studying Computer Science, Mike applied for a grant position at Sparkgeo. When the grant period ended, our CEO suggested he stay part-time, while finishing his degree. That was in 2014. Mike’s been with us since.

When asked about his work, Mike notes that he finds the work both interesting and challenging. He also appreciates that it allows him to explore the latest technologies. Mostly, he focuses on devops work. Recently, he’s worked on container orchestration using the Kubernetes platform. (He considers this the most exciting work he’s ever done.)

Mike is most proud of a task runner he built. The client uses this to execute the ENVI suite of geospatial algorithms on the GBDX platform. It proved a big win, as it added a large amount of tasks to their catalogue. He’s now helping a different team, in the same company, use Kubernetes to move to a containerized platform.

Mike applauds Sparkgeo’s flexible and low-stress workplace. He notes that management provides adequate tools for employees to do their job well—and enjoy this work. Like any start-up, there are growing pains, but Mike feels it’s improving.

He’s proud to work in a technical industry, and contribute to highly technical projects. He’s grateful to be able to do this from a small town, that’s not commonly known as a technology centre. (The client Mike works with most is in Denver.)

When not at work, Mike enjoys being a parent, mountain biking, and playing as much ultimate frisbee as he can. His favourite travel destination is Maui—for its many small villages. He’s intrigued by Europe, and would like to check out the historic architecture there.